“And what’s it like now?”

  “Last I heard they’d lost sixty percent of the population to starvation.”

  “Goddamn.” Ryant looked like he might be sick. Maybe Cas shouldn’t have relayed that story so close to meeting Diamant. That probably could have kept until they were back on the shuttle.

  The guards continued to lead them through winding alleys and roads. One thing Cas noticed was there didn’t seem to be a defined thoroughfare anywhere. The roads seemed to follow the shapes of whatever ships were being used as buildings with little thought to spatial planning. The only way he could keep his bearings was by keeping an eye on the large pipes that crisscrossed above them in different directions. As best he could tell they were moving further toward the back of the structure but had barely reached a quarter of the way so far. Now he really had wished Box had come; he could have built a mental map of this place in an instant. Cas wasn’t feeling too good about their ability to escape this maze back to the ship unscathed.

  Finally, the smaller ships opened up to a much larger structure. Cas could tell it had once been a medium-sized ship of some kind, but so much of it had been dismantled and repurposed it was hard to see exactly what its purpose had been. It was as if the Bulaq had taken this particular ship and turned it into one of their shrines. A large dome sat on the top, capped by a spire reaching high into the space. In front of the ship, a grand staircase had been constructed leading up to the access port as the landing gear of the ship itself was still deployed. How could these people spend so much time building and expending energy when they had little to no food available? And how many had they lost in the process? Cas wasn’t sure he wanted to know.

  They reached the top of the staircase with Vrij in front, Laura right behind him with her hand on her weapon and Cas and Ryant bringing up the rear. Cas could sense the tension among them, much of it emanating from Laura. Evie had told him she’d been in the tactical simulator a lot lately, though he suspected that was more for the tactical station itself rather than hand-to-hand combat. He hoped he didn’t have to find out how much training she’d been through.

  The guards led them through the narrow corridors of the ship/shrine until they reached what had to be the rear where it opened inside. In what was probably once the engine room, the entire area had been repurposed into what looked to Cas to be a refugee camp. Beds of all sizes littered the floor and swung from apparatus bolted into the walls, while Bulaq of all shapes and sizes milled about. It had become a place of refuge for these people. Cas noticed other Bulaq moving through the crowd, handing out supplies and rations, taking special care to make sure each Bulaq child had something.

  “It’s a sanctuary,” Ryant whispered as they all looked on. One of the Bulaq guards who’d escorted them made an unusual noise in his throat that sounded to Cas like a cough combined with a click. Half of the people down below glanced up but one in particular stood out. He was larger, more muscular than the others and Cas could tell he’d been fed better, despite the fact he was one of those handing out rations. His face was similar to Vrij’s, though a few scars ran across his cheeks and over his bald head. Cas had no doubt he was the man they were here to see.

  He handed the rations he was holding off to another helper and made his way up a side staircase to them, motioning they follow him through another set of corridors. The guards indicated it was okay but Vrij held back as Cas took the lead, wanting to make the first impression. He couldn’t help but wonder just how dire these people’s situation was. As they walked, he tapped the comm embedded in the back of his hand.

  “Hey, Saturn, everything good?”

  “Still good here,” Jann replied. “They haven’t even come close to me yet.”

  “Good. Keep me informed.”

  “You got it.” He cut the transmission.

  After a few more minutes the corridors opened into another large space, though not as large as the one they’d just left. Cas recognized it as the control center for what had been the ship, though many of the components had been cannibalized or removed. The only indicator this had been the bridge was one large chair in the middle of the room, where the man they’d followed now stood. Each of the guards touched the small black devices on their necks as he picked one up from the chair, affixing it in the same place.

  Cas glanced to the others. Ryant seemed alert, but relaxed. Laura’s eyes were darting around the space, as if looking for a way out in case there was trouble. While Vrij remained completely immobile, his focus on the floor in front of the other Bulaq’s feet. Feet, Cas noticed, adorned by quality boots. Much better than Vrij’s scraped and tattered versions. The man they’d followed in here tapped his chest twice and the two guards approached Cas and the others.

  “No sudden movements.” They each held up a small device and moved it up and down in front of each of them. “They’re armed,” one of the guards said.

  “Leave them be,” the man said, his voice strong yet slightly raspy. “They didn’t come here to kill us.”

  The guards exchanged glances then dropped the devices and took up positions behind the group.

  “Or am I wrong? What is your purpose here?”

  Cas stepped forward. “My name is Caspian Robeaux. I come from what is known as the Sovereign Coalition of Aligned Systems, a confederacy far from here. We were told you needed help.”

  “You were.” The man’s eyes darted to Vrij and remained fixed on him. Vrij seemed to shrink under the gaze. “I must admit, we are the recipients of some very bad luck, but we are not as destitute as some might have made it seem.”

  “Are you Diamant?” Cas asked.

  “I am. But I’m sorry if you were led to believe I’m some kind of influence here. I am merely a humble servant of the Bulaq people.” Vrij made a noise and Diamant shot him a look, causing the smaller Bulaq to shrink away.

  Cas glanced back to the guards, then took in what had once been an opulent bridge. “Doesn’t look that way from where I’m standing.”

  Diamant cocked his head, much in the same way Vrij had done when he didn’t understand something. “Caspian, I was given the gift of a second chance. I can’t waste that on anything other than service to my people. They may hold me in some high regard, but I assure you, I’m little more than a man of my people.”

  Cas sensed Laura shift uncomfortably beside him. “Will you at least allow us to make our offer?” he asked. Diamant tapped his chest twice. “Thank you. My ship needs building and repair materials, which I can see you have an abundance of. We have food, medicine and other supplies to trade. We can help each other.”

  A crease formed across Diamant’s considerable brow. He took a few steps to the right, his head bowed in contemplation. “Caspian, would you consider yourself a trusting person? Do you find you’re generally a good judge of character?”

  The question put Cas off. He wasn’t sure what the man was getting at, but he felt like they were being toyed with. And he didn’t appreciate it. “Those are two different questions. And I don’t really think my answer would make any difference to you.”

  Diamant made a sound which Cas assumed was a laugh, from the amused look on his face. “I can’t fault you for that. But I must ask, why have you taken the word of a known outcast? Someone who is a disgrace to our people and our heritage?”

  Cas glanced at Vrij. “Look, I’m not concerned with your internal politics. Vrij told us of your…history. We thought it was worth the risk.”

  “You must be in quite the need if you’re willing to trust the word of a criminal. How did you know he wasn’t leading you into a trap?”

  Cas felt like he was being teased; as if this was an elaborate dance. And he didn’t like where it was going. “He assisted in the defense of our ship. And I don’t need to justify my decisions to you. All I need to do is negotiate a trade. Then we’ll be on our way.”

  Diamant’s gaze landed on Cas. “You are straightforward. I can appreciate that in a man. But I have one more question for you. Why would you trust a man whose people are so desperate they would do anything to survive? Why would such a man not do whatever is necessary to accomplish his own goals?”

  Cas turned to Vrij again who had seemed to shrink down even further. “Sometimes risks are necessary. We don’t have the luxury of playing it safe.” He turned back to Diamant. “And neither do you. At least from what I’ve seen.”

  Diamant puffed air through his nose, though Cas couldn’t tell if he was amused or annoyed. “Very well. Let us make a circle. And we can discuss your offer.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Evie strode down the corridor, her heart beating a hundred beats per second. She’d been in the middle of helping Zaal reset some of the control units on deck six before they lost all power for half the ship when Xax had called. The urgency of her voice had done little to assuage Evie’s fears. And the hypervator had taken forever to get up to six. But now that she was only a few meters from sickbay she wished it had taken longer. She wasn’t sure she was ready to hear what the doctor had to say.

  The doors moved aside for her and the first person she saw was Box. He glanced up when she entered but when he didn’t make some kind of crack she knew something was wrong. She glanced over to Xax who had stood from her desk in the adjoining section and made her way out to Evie.

  “Before you say anything,” Evie said, “Just give me a minute to breathe, okay?”

  “I could provide an anti-anxiety drop,” Box offered from the other side of the room.

  “That won’t be necessary,” Xax replied. “The captain can handle it. Let’s go in my office.” Evie didn’t want to go in the office. Plus, all the other patients had been discharged. It was only her, Box, the doctor and a few nurses milling about. Everyone in this room already knew except for her, so why the need for propriety?

  “No, just tell me here.”

  “Captain, I really think you should—”

  “Stop calling me captain.” Evie hissed. “I’m not the captain, Greene is. And until—” But she didn’t need to say another word when she saw Xax’s face. Even though she had six eyes they were all filled with sadness and pity and Evie hated it when people looked at her like that. “No.”

  “Box and I began the procedure a few hours ago,” Xax said, her voice hushed. She reached out with two of her hands and placed them on Evie’s arms. “The new technique I developed showed the damage was far worse than we’d originally thought.”

  Evie winced, tears welling up in her eyes. “No.”

  “Here, come on,” Xax said, leading her into her office. She helped Evie take a seat while she pulled something up on her display. She flipped the image, so it was visible from the other side. “This is Captain Greene’s normal brain scan. We take them every three seasons. His was made not more than sixty days ago.”

  Tears were already running down Evie’s face, despite her furiously wiping them away. The image was blurry, and she couldn’t seem to clear her eyes to get a good look.

  “This is a scan I took this morning, using the deep tissue micros. See all this here?” She pointed to an area around the middle where the two halves of the brain connected. It was a deep red in the middle surrounded by an orange aura.

  “Is all that from the attack?” Evie asked, trying to retain her professionalism.

  “No. But the attack was the catalyst. His brain has a genetic anomaly we hadn’t previously detected, and when he was injured it only exacerbated an existing condition the captain has been living with his entire life. I’m afraid he’s down to two percent brain function. He won’t wake up from the induced coma.”

  “Won’t or can’t,” Evie asked.

  “Either. If we used our equipment to bring him out of the coma, he’d have no bodily control. He wouldn’t even be able to breathe on his own. The brain is a husk at this point, and it’s only getting worse. This disease is will tear it apart, piece by piece. Once this specific anomaly is active, it’s like a parasite that feeds on brain matter.”

  Evie put her head in her hands for a moment then withdrew them, wiping the tears at the same time. She took a deep breath. “What do we need to do?”

  Xax folded her top set of hands in front of her. “I suggest cutting all life support. I don’t believe any of him is in any way conscious, though if he is, it isn’t pleasant. My hope is he’s already gone. And while I can still detect some very light brain activity, that could just be the anomaly at work, lighting up his brain centers as it consumes.”

  “You want to kill him,” she replied. “You want to kill one of the most decorated captains in the fleet.”

  “Evelyn,” Xax said. “He’s dead already. There’s nothing we can do but end his suffering.”

  “But that can’t be possible,” she hissed. “He needs to take command of this ship. Of this crew. He has to get us out of this.” She could feel the desperation clawing at the edges of her mind, but she didn’t care. What good was all this technology if it couldn’t save the captain’s life? Why did they even have a sickbay if some random anomaly could kill any of them at a moment’s notice?

  “I know you don’t want to hear this, but that’s your job now. This clearly falls under the Coalition’s battlefield promotion statute. You need to formally take command of this ship because there is no one else who can do the job.”

  She pulled her tight ponytail over her shoulder, feeling the familiar wrap in her hand. Wiping her eyes one last time to make sure she’d cleared any remnants of tears she stood. “Do you need my authorization?”

  Xax nodded. “As the chief medical officer of this ship I can elect to do it alone, but I’d prefer your signature on the documents as well.”

  She drew in a deep breath through her nose. “I need some time. To make sure everything is in order.”

  “I understand. But please don’t take too long. If there’s even a chance he’s conscious, he could be in agony.”

  Evie nodded, pulling her lips between her teeth. She squinted at Xax. “Anything else?”

  “Not right now.”

  She left the doctor there, passing Box without a word and launching herself into the corridor. As soon as the doors were closed behind her she slammed the base of her fist into the wall. “Goddammit!” Heaving breaths almost overtook her, but she wasn’t going to pass out. And she wasn’t going to let this get her. But she wasn’t ready to lead this ship. She wasn’t ready to do this all alone. Especially not after everything she’d been experiencing lately. How was the crew supposed to count on someone who was seeing hallucinations and couldn’t tell the real from the imagined? How was she even fit to command in that sort of state? Sure, things had stabilized but there was no guarantee they’d stay that way. And she wasn’t sure she could risk the safety of the crew.

  It should have been her. If she’d hadn’t been out on that shuttle, she never would have seen that stupid arch and would have been on the bridge when the mines hit. She could have saved him but instead she’d been in Engineering going through mental therapy with Sesster.

  She couldn’t think like that. It would only make things worse. She really wished Laura hadn’t gone off on the mission. When she’d come to her and asked, Evie hadn’t been sure if it was because she wanted to prove herself, or if she was just upset about what had happened the other night. She hoped it wasn’t the latter because until then things had been pretty good. And if something little like that could get between them how were they supposed to navigate the really rough stuff?

  How was she supposed to do this by herself? Without his guidance and wisdom? Was it even possible?

  Evie pulled her hand away from the wall, noticing a dent where she’d hit it. She furrowed her brow. Normally these bulkheads were reinforced galvanium. Maybe one of the maintenance teams had replaced some of these with less sturdy materials. Right now she really didn’t care. She had a lot of paperwork to do. Officially transferring command of the ship required a lot of prep work. And she’d better get it done before the next attack came. The last thing she needed was to issue an order to the computer, only for it to refuse or spit back an error because she’d forgotten to change the command controls.

  Sighing, Evie left the corridor and headed back for the bridge.

  Chapter Fourteen

  When Diamant said they’d make a circle, Cas thought he was being cagey or perhaps the auto-vox malfunctioned. But no, he had meant a circle. He’d gathered them all around a central point in the room and had them crouch down, though he’d stared daggers at Vrij who had excused himself back to the other side of the room with the guards.

  In the middle of the circle Diamant had placed a small disc about half a meter in diameter on the ground. It was thin, seemed to have some heft to it and the top was covered in a shimmering material. Cas couldn’t help but consider the absurdity of the situation, the four of them crouching on all sides of the “circle” in this decrepit old room that had once been the command center for a large and powerful Bulaq ship. He also realized he wouldn’t be able to hold this position very long as he’d yet again neglected Box’s advice and skipped all of his gym times. Though with everything that had been happening the past few weeks he doubted anyone had time to get down there. But his legs were going to get sore, fast. He suspected that wasn’t the case for Diamant or any of the other Bulaq. With their powerful hindquarters Cas bet they could probably spring ten meters in the air if they really wanted to.

  Diamant glanced at each of them in turn, then tapped the top of the disc. It glowed bright blue which then transformed into blue plasma. It wasn’t hot, but it lit up the room in a way the natural lighting couldn’t. The walls seemed to react to the flame, glowing with energy themselves.

  “Wow,” Laura whispered.

  “This is what’s known as a seeding circle,” Diamant said. “It is where my people come together to speak of our days, to work out our problems. And to pray. I have invited you into my seeding circle so we may discuss your offer.”

 

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